


Time Lag

by wefellasangels



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen, M/M, Monster of the Week, Team Free Will, Witch - Freeform, Witchcraft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-22
Updated: 2015-06-22
Packaged: 2018-04-05 15:01:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4184271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wefellasangels/pseuds/wefellasangels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A run-in with a witch leaves Team Free Will questioning how much they truly know one another.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Time Lag

**Author's Note:**

> requested by @sammit-dam on tumblr

DAY 2

Despite the fact that it’s four in the afternoon, the boys are the only ones in the diner. Occupying one of the booths by the window, they keep their voices low for fear of being overheard by the wait staff.

“So you’re telling me that there’s absolutely nothing on how to reverse a love spell?” Dean asks, clearly annoyed. “Sam, that’s gotta be some of the oldest magic on record…”

Sitting in the aisle seat next to Dean, Sam continues research on his laptop.

“Dean, that’s the problem. Love spells are ancient magic – there’s too much lore on them. I mean, some them require spell work, others say the effects wear off on their own…” Sam clicks a link and scrolls for a moment before smirking.

“And my personal favorite theory, and I quote: ‘love spells may only be effective if the individuals in question already possess romantic feelings for one another’.”

“Well, obviously that can’t be the case,” Castiel states from across the table.

Sam glances at the angel’s hand that’s resting on the table – holding Dean’s. The smirk never leaves his face, but he shrugs and replies with a “Yeah. Okay,” that makes Dean roll his eyes.

Sam closes his laptop as their food finally arrives. Soup for Sam, a burger and a side of fries for Dean, and nothing for Castiel. As the brothers eat, Castiel thinks back to the day before…

…

The boys arrived at the Bunker bruised and bleeding after their showdown with their witch-of-interest.

“Can’t believe she got away,” Dean growled as they walked down the stairs. “… bitch could be anywhere by now…”

“Maybe we could summon – or, at least, track the witch down,” Castiel suggested, as they made their way through the War Room and to the kitchen. “It’s possible that the…Men of Letters discovered or developed such a spell.”

Sam nodded in agreement as he walked over to the fridge and grabbed three ice packs from its freezer. After throwing a pack to his brother and his angel, Sam placed his own on the left side of his abdomen and winced.

“Alright. So…tracking spell,” Sam recapped. “And –“ Sam inhaled sharply in pain as he sat down at the table “- and we also have to figure what she did to you two.”

Dean and Castiel exchanged glances, Dean still holding his ice pack over his left eye. 

“I don’t know, man,” Dean began, with a short nervous laugh. “I don’t feel any different.” He walked over and took the seat across from Sam.

“How ‘bout you, Cas?” Sam inquired of the angel.

Castiel furrowed his brow in thought. “I’m, uh, not sure. I…”

The brothers watched Castiel, waiting for him to say more, but he didn’t.

“Well, that’s…fantastic,” Dean said with a thin smile, breaking the silence.

“Huh…okay then, I’m gonna go take a shower,” Sam announced. With a grunt, he stood up, leaving the now-melted ice pack on the table. “Maybe afterwards we can start searching through the library – see if the Men of Letters have anything on witch-tracking or love spells…”

“Sounds like a plan,” Dean concurred. As Sam left for his room, Castiel took his seat at the table.

“Dean, how are you feeling?” was the last thing Sam heard before he was out of earshot.

About half an hour later, Sam walked back into the kitchen drying his hair with a towel, the fabric covering his eyes slightly.

“Okay, so I was thinking that if we couldn’t – holy crap, what -?”

The towel no longer hindering his sight, Sam watched as Castiel and Dean pulled away from one another and stood up quickly, obviously just kissing a moment ago.

Wide-eyed, Sam stared as the two inched away from each other.

“Dude…what the hell?” Sam finally asked quietly.

Dean gave a weak smile, looking between his brother and the angel. “I don’t know…” he replied with a shake of the head and a shrug.

“No, seriously – what the hell?” Sam repeated.

Castiel and Dean answered simultaneously:

“Seriously, I don’t know.”

“It was the witch.”

Sam nodded and cleared his throat. “Guess, uh, we have more research to do.”

“Clearly,” Castiel said with a sigh. 

…

And so things had continued on in that fashion. Dean and Castiel trading cautious glances with one another while Sam was in the room; Sam leaving and coming back to find them holding hands or pulling away from a kiss.

When Sam didn’t see the two after waking up this passed morning, he discovered them both in Dean’s room, Dean fast asleep and Castiel lying next to him, smiling contently as he watched the hunter rest.

And after hours of combing through the library with nothing to show for it, the three decided it was time for a break and went out to eat.

Now, Dean crumples his napkin and tosses it into his empty plate, looking around as traffic begins to pick up in the diner.

“Perhaps we should just focus on tracking the witch,” Castiel begins, subtly trying to reach out and hold Dean’s hand again. “If we can’t find a reversal spell, maybe we can…persuade her to reverse it himself.”

Sam scoffs. “Yeah, but do you really think she’ll go for that? For all we know, she could cast another spell on any of us”

Dean rolls his eyes. “I’m not really seeing another option here, Sammy. We couldn’t find anything in the Men of Letters library on reversals; apparently there’s too much crap about it online; we’re pretty much stuck without the she-witch at this point.”

Sam sighs, watching out of the corner of his eye as Dean runs his thumb back and forth over Castiel’s wrist. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he says finally.

“We should head back now,” Castiel suggests looking at a clock hanging over the door leading to the diner’s kitchen. It was almost 5:30.

The trio gets up to leave, Sam taking his laptop and Dean picking up the tab. After holding the door open for a family of five, Castiel follows the boys out to the parking lot, now filled with the dinner rush. Next to Sam, Dean and Castiel swing their interlocked hands between them.

…

DAY 3

“She’s lying,” Castiel grumbles to the brothers, turning his back on the trapped witch.

It was a stroke of luck that the witch – Rachael, they recently learned – hadn’t gone too far. They tracked Rachael to a nearby airport and caught her just as she was about to board the plane. Even with her mouth gagged to prevent any more spell work, she put up a fight. By the time they got her to the dungeon, Dean had a fresh black eye, Castiel had a bruised lip and cut on his left cheek, and Sam (somehow) wound up with a mild burn on his right forearm. Now the four of them were in the Bunker’s dungeon, Rachael on lockdown in the chair.

Dean walks passed the angel and towards the witch.

“Let’s try this again,” he says lightly. Dean pulls back his fist and a split second later, Rachael’s nose is broken. “How do you reverse the spell?”

“I…can’t reverse it,” Rachael answers thickly. She turns her head to the side and spits as more blood from her broken nose runs into her mouth.

Dean gives a short laugh. “Yeah, see…my, uh, ‘honey bun’ over there doesn’t seem to agree… And I’m not buying it either.”

“There’s a ton of lore on love spells,” Sam joins in, walking up next to his brother, his voice slightly sing-song and taunting. “And it’d be kinda pathetic if a witch as powerful as you couldn’t pull off a simple parlor trick.”

Rachael glares at the brothers and takes a deep breath.

“I’m not saying I don’t know how – I’m saying I can’t –“

“Bullshit,” Castiel counters from the back. Running out of patience, Castiel saunters forward, pushing through the brothers and pulling out his angel blade. Even though he has no intention of using it and just wants to scare the woman, he places the tip of the weapon under Rachael’s jaw.

The brothers shifts nervously behind Castiel, unsure of the angel’s endgame. But when a bead of sweat runs down the witch’s temple, Castiel knows they have her.

“The spell,” Castiel demanded.

“Listen…I can’t reverse the spell because –“ the witch’s voice pitches up as Castiel presses the blade a little more into her skin. “Because the effects wear off after a while!”

Castiel removes the blade and takes a step back, his eyes narrowed.

“Really?” Castiel asks skeptically.

“It’s been three freakin’ days!” Dean explains. “I’d think we’d notice if anything was, uh, you know – ‘wearing off’!”

Rachael shifts in the chair with an eyebrow raised in confusion.

“Three days? That spell was only meant to last twenty-four hours…”

“Yeah, well, obviously something went wrong,” Sam retorts. “And you need to fix it!”

Looking nervous and scared, but slightly amused, Rachael lifts her hands, palm out, in surrender.

“Look fellas, I don’t know what to tell you. The spell should have worn off by now and it if hasn’t, that’s out of my hands.”

The boys exchange looks and walk some feet away to talk in private. A smile tugs at Sam’s lips and Dean takes notice.

“Dude, what the hell are you so smug about?”

“Nothin’,” Sam replies, feigning innocence. “Well…it’s just that –“

“Sammy, don’t say it –“

“Dean –“

Dean points at his brother sternly. “Dude: shut your mouth!”

Sam keeps his silence, but continues to give Dean a goofy grin. 

“I don’t believe the witch was lying,” Castiel concludes. “She…legitimately intended for his spell to last for only one day.”

Not able to help himself, Sam speaks up again. “Which mean the two of you are legitimately in love – “

“Or,” Dean interrupts. “Or…she-witch over there legitimately screwed up and we just have to wait it out a little longer.”

Sam and Castiel make eye contact and both smirk knowingly.

“Well, obviously, Dean,” Castiel sighs, reaching for the hunter’s hand. “That can’t be the case.”

**Author's Note:**

> requested (prompt at end to avoid spoilers): "I want a witch to put a love curse on Dean and Cas and they spend the whole time acting like a couple and three days later they find her and when Sam demands for her to lift the curse she says 'The curse only lasts for 24 hours'."


End file.
